Shoe-rack.



B. H. BIRCHALL.

SHOE RACK.

APPLICATION nun my a, 1909.

957,839 Patented May 10,1910

BENJAMIN E. BIRGHALL, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HARRY L. TROKELL, 'OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SHOE-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. May 8, 1909.

Patented May 10, 1910.

SeriaI No. 494,739.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN H. BIRCH- ALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Shoe-Rack, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to shoe trees or hold.- ers and has for its object the provision of a device of this character that will clamp on to the sole of a shoe and hold the shoe in proper shape when not being worn.

Another object is to provide a device of this character that will not damage the shoe in any way and will not stretch or distort the shape of the upper.

Still another object is to provide a device of this character which is light in weight, strong in structure and of a few simple parts which are not liable to get out of order.

With these advantages and other objects in view, which will be shown in the following specification and set forth in the claims, my invention embraces the structure illus trated in the following drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device in applied position. Fig. 2 is a perspective detail of the shoe clamp.

In a more detailed description of my in vention, in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the views shown 1. is the upper of a shoe of the usual style, having the usual sole 2 and the usual heel 3.

Theholder 4: is composed essentially of a support having tubular sides 5 made of spring material and equally spaced apart. The support when in normal position is arched but straightens when the device is in operative position as shown in Fig. 1, the purpose of this being to straighten out the sole of the shoe, whereby to remove any wrinkles that may have formed in the upper of the shoe.

Positioned at one end of the support t is a toe clamp consisting of a plate 6 having spaced bearing portions 7 adapted to engage the tubular sides 5 of the support and having a vertical projection 8 terminating in a shoulder or bent portion 9 adapted to engage the end of the sole 2. This bent over portion is provided on its bottom face with a piece of felt or other fabric 10 in order that the clamp will not deface the shoe when in engagement with the sole.

Disposed adjacent the opposite end of the support 4; is a heel. clamp comprising a base plate 11 having terminalspaced bearing portions 12 and 13, adapted to slidingly fit the spaced tubular sides 5 of the support. An arm 14 extends vertically from one end of said heel clamp and is provided at its upper end with a laterally projecting pin 15 terminating in a point adapted to penetrate the heel of a shoe. The portion of the base plate intermediate the ends is bentupward as shown at 16 and forms a seat for the latch 17. The latch 17 is slidingly seated on the support 4: and is of a size suflicient to enter and loosely fit the bent portion 16 of said support when in normal position, but bears against the said bent portion and forces it upward when in operative position, thereby causing the bearing portions 12 and 13 to bind against the tubular sides of the support and lockingly hold the heel clamp in position. The latch is provided with an angular arm 18 extending downward between the spaced tubular sides of the support, slidingly seated therebetween, and engaging the under surface of the bearing portion 13 of the base plate when in operative or locked position, the purpose of which arm is to move the latch 17 into or out of operative position.

When a shoe is placed on the support, the end of the sole is engaged under the retaining shoulder or bent over end of the toe clamp and the shoe heel is brought against the support after which the heel clamp is movedto and locked in engagement with the shoe heel so as to hold the same firmly against the support. The result of this manipulation is to cause the side of the support to present straight lines instead of their former curved or arched lines and, consequently, the resiliency of the support will exert a pull on the shoe sole which will tend to straighten the same.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction and operation of my invention may easily be understood without a more extended explanation, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be made without sacrificing any of of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. A shoe tree comprising a support having spaced bearing portions, a toe clamp adapted to secure the toe of a shoe to said support, a heel clamp having terminal spaced bearing portions adapted to slidingly fit the spaced bearing portions of. the support, said heel plate having terminal means for securing the heel of a shoe, and an operating lever mounted on said support between the ends of the heel clamp and bearing against said heel clamp whereby to hold the same in engagement with a. heel of a shoe.

2. A shoe tree comprising a support having yielding sides in spaced relation, a toe clamp having spaced bearing portions adapted to engage the sides of the support and terminating in a bent portion adapted to engage the toe end of a shoe sole, a heel clamp having terminal bearing portions adapted to engage the sides of the support and having a portion intermediate the ends bent upward, an operating lever bearing against said bent-up portion and causing the bearing ends of the heel clamp to bind upon the support whereby to hold the securing end of the heel clamp in engagement with the heel of a shoe.

3. A shoe tree comprising a resilient support, a heel clamp slidingly mounted thereon and having an up-t-urned portion between its ends, and a latch slidingly mounted on the support and having a locking head disposed transversely between the support and the said up-turned portion of the clamp and bearing against the same.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signa ture in the presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN H. BIRCHALL.

Witnesses G. R. HUNT, RICHARD W. MARCHANT, Jr. 

